I'm involved in some Leigh local history work which has led me to Culcheth and other nearby districts.

For example, Drs. Richard and Richard Burrows Sephton, served the Leigh area and were buried at Newchurch. Lowton Grange, Stonecross Lane, Golborne, once home to William Shaw, the MD of George Shaw & Co., Ltd.. Also, the Brideoake family, buried at Winwick.

I'd welcome any help you can offer and especially photographs, memorabilia, anecdotes and the like, indeed anything you can supply with a Leigh connection.

Re Dr Sephton and his residence, in my younger days in Culcheth we visited him at "Springfield" in Common Lane.The name of his successor escapes me for the moment but I recall my Mother saying that he was rather fond of the bottle. The last incumbent doctor that I remember at "Springfield" was an Egyptian with a limp who went by the name of DrToubi.He had an English wife from Sheffield who used to drive around in an MG sports car. The Doc. had a 1949 1.5 litre Jaguar. They had a son , Victor,who built himself a copy of the MG from an old Austin 7 van. He was very clever with his hands. There was a cupboard in the waiting room where the earlier Doctors used to leave labelled bottled of medicine and I was often asked as a young boy to go and collect these for elderly neighbours. I would also return empty bottles for reuse.

According to my late father who also referred to Warrington Rd as Bury Loan (lane) was that during the Civil War, the battle which took place on the land near to Holcroft Lane and into Glazebury was where a lot of the men were buried where they fell. This was on the land next to the Raven Inn were Lythgos' bungalow stands, this is supposed to be consecrated land. This is where the name Bury Lane comes from. If anyone else knows a different story it would be interesting.

I at one time thought the same as you, that the name of Bury Lane came from this Civil War battle, but according to a booklet "Centenary 1852-1952 on All Saints Church Glazebury" written by Allan Houghton, a former headmaster of Glazebury School that this is not true as Burylane is mentioned as early as 1201, the name Glazebury was bestowed on the villiage by a Mr Joseph Hartley, a owner of Gill & Hartley's factory the factory once stood just under the railway bridge, near the Chat Moss hotel, you are right about the consecrated land opposite the old Peters corn mill, I remember helping to pick was the first crop of potatoes from that field for the Farmer Ian Boardman of Light Oaks Hall Farm when I was 13/14, in the half term school holidays, half term then was know as Potato picking fortnightwere you went out and got a job, not roam the street like today

Thats very interesting Burylaner, I used to do the potato picking as well, I went to Leatherbarrow Farm and my uncles farm on the moss, we were always allowed to carry some spuds home with us but I was always to tired to carry them

Good to read that some members on here like to chat about local history.

I'm currently researching the Yates family (farmers and pork butchers) who lived and worked in the Croft and Culcheth areas for decades before migrating to Leigh and, ultimately, creating the company which became Yates, Greer. Richard Yates, b. c.1818, was the first of the family 'specialist pork butchers' and he died in Leigh in 1890. I've walked the two cemeteries in Croft and checked out the burial records for Newchurch, Culcheth, but to no avail. Neither is he buried in Leigh (St. Paul's, Westleigh, Bedford St. Thomas and Leigh Cemetery) although the death is registered in Leigh. I'm trying to get a photo of any headstone that may exist and an obituary. Neither can I find details of the death in the local press (Journal/Chronicle).

There is an alternate 'bit of folk lore' regarding the naming of Bury Lane (Glazebury), it was originally called Berry Lane because it was covered in berries along the stretch from what is now the Greyhound to Waltham Avenue.

The remains on the land are next to Heyshoot Lane are said to be of slaughtered scotsmen retreating from Derby, the Raven allegedly got its name from a raven alighting on the roof with a dagger in its beak.

The municipal cemetery in Manchester Road was opened in 1856 with a Roman Catholic section and chapel and from that date burials take place there but are still recorded in St Joseph's register . St Joseph's graveyard may have been formally closed at the time and over the years it has been paved over and is now is a church car park.

Also, I think the registers ceased to be kept for burials after 1889. Burials would have been accommodated by Leigh Cemetery.

There is a farmer and butcher called Richard Yates living in Croft in the 1881 census who looks like the right one, he has a 15 yr old grandaughter named Mary living with him.According to the National Probate Calender his son James Yates and Enoch Sankey a farmer from Rowe Farm Culcheth proved his will at Liverpool in 1890 and he died on 14th October 1890 in Leigh - he was living then in Market Street Leigh.

nyx wrote:There is a farmer and butcher called Richard Yates living in Croft in the 1881 census who looks like the right one, he has a 15 yr old grandaughter named Mary living with him.According to the National Probate Calender his son James Yates and Enoch Sankey a farmer from Rowe Farm Culcheth proved his will at Liverpool in 1890 and he died on 14th October 1890 in Leigh - he was living then in Market Street Leigh.

Dont know if this helps (from ancestry.co.uk)

Thanks, nyx.

I have that already...from Ancestry. And, you have got the right family. Mary was daughter of Richard's son, John, who died just over a year after the 1881 census.

Did Culcheth/Croft have a local newspaper back in the 1880's and beyond? I might be able to trace an obituary for Richard in there.